flowprofiler® dimension labs | Regard for Others

A dimension of social intelligence, having regard for others, is a crucial team skill. Discover more about what it means to have regard for others with flowprofiler® dimension labs.

Alongside social awareness, regard for others is a dimension of social intelligence, which is key to the development of and maintaining strong workplace relationships. It seems to be an obvious quality to exhibit, but as with other EQ power skills, having regard for others needs to be understood in order to be harnessed in the workplace.

Social intelligence is the ability to recognise emotions in others and act appropriately. It is the ability to navigate socially and build relationships.

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Regard for Others: show confidence in others

An obvious example of lacking confidence in a team is the micro-managing leader who never really lets go of a project. They constantly dip in and out, causing inconsistency and confusion. This can lead to burnout on their part, blaming others around them and creating a culture when no one feels empowered to take action or make a decision. The result? At best stagnancy, at worst, outright failure and chaos.

Showing little regard for others also damages the confidence of the individuals in the team. We all need recognition from our higher-ups, especially if we are on our own learning journey. Just as children look for confidence from the parents, teams look for confidence in their ability from their leaders. If their leader is unable to provide the support to make decisions and very importantly learn from mistakes, the team will lose purpose and ambition.

Regard for Others: trust, value and appreciate others

Being able to trust those around you is huge. Not just for leaders, but also between co-workers. To have trust between people, and value the contribution they make is golden and must never be assumed or taken for granted. As humans, we have a natural scepticism which to a certain extent serves us well (blind faith is never a good thing) but to feel able to trust our workplace family brings out the best in all of us.

When co-workers and leaders actively show that they trust, value and appreciate each other, their relationships are inevitably stronger. This is especially important among senior leadership. Employees need to see and believe that their leaders work together well, rather than in unhealthy competition against each other. Where an element of competition is required, for example between branch or department managers, it still needs to be played out with trust and mutual appreciation to avoid an organisation-wide divisive culture. After all we are all on the same team, even if playing in different positions.

Regard for Others: be supportive and kind

Kindness. Perhaps the most important behaviour we can show to each other, whether that’s at work or in the wider world. Kindness does not need to be at the expense of ambition, determination or competition. It is completely possible to be all those things, kind and supportive at the same time.

Being kind and supportive to each other has great benefits for everyone’s well-being. It’s a positive action that makes most people feel good. And when we feel good about ourselves, we tend to perform well.

For the more ruthless types it can be hard to understand how to switch to a kinder, more supportive way of going. Often, these people are caught in a vicious circle where their typical behaviour causes a certain reaction from others, which sparks further defensive, unkind untrusting and unsupportive behaviour. This is where unbiased intervention in the form of assessment, reflection, training and coaching is incredibly effective. There may be some resistance, or even anxiety, to understand the impact of their behaviour. However with support and time these people can improve their regard for others and social intelligence. Not only will this benefit workplace relationships in their organisation, but also their own well-being at work.

Leading effectively is, in other words, less about mastering situations—or even mastering social skill sets—than about developing a genuine interest in and talent for fostering positive feelings in the people whose cooperation and support you need.

Daniel Goleman and Richard E. Boyatzis